Realistic Job Preview

April 9th, 2013, 11:31 AM

How realistic is it that a civilian with no military training or land navigation experience will pass Selection?

I've been out since 2000 and haven't used a compass since I got out let alone remember the "battle drills" from my time as an Infantryman so I feel like a "civilian". If you pass SFRE and enlist will your unit help prepare you for Selection or are you on your own to get the required skills ready for SFAS. I know fitness is only a small part of the course, but if you're in stud shape, mentally "hard as woodpecker lips", never quit attitude, have great leadership skills, but lack experience in the land nav and military tactics; does that usually mean you're not going to be selected? Just want to be prepared.

I HIGHLY recommend you come to the SFRE 100% ready as if you were going to SFAS, period. If you do not show them that you are serious and know what you are doing, then they will send you down the road.

How realistic is it that a civilian with no military training or land navigation experience will pass Selection?

I've been out since 2000 and haven't used a compass since I got out let alone remember the "battle drills" from my time as an Infantryman so I feel like a "civilian". If you pass SFRE and enlist will your unit help prepare you for Selection or are you on your own to get the required skills ready for SFAS. I know fitness is only a small part of the course, but if you're in stud shape, mentally "hard as woodpecker lips", never quit attitude, have great leadership skills, but lack experience in the land nav and military tactics; does that usually mean you're not going to be selected? Just want to be prepared.

Go to 550cord.com. They have a ton of great stuff that sounds like it would be perfect for you. Land Nav training, squad tactics, etc.

Comment

How realistic is it that a civilian with no military training or land navigation experience will pass Selection?

I've been out since 2000 and haven't used a compass since I got out let alone remember the "battle drills" from my time as an Infantryman so I feel like a "civilian". If you pass SFRE and enlist will your unit help prepare you for Selection or are you on your own to get the required skills ready for SFAS. I know fitness is only a small part of the course, but if you're in stud shape, mentally "hard as woodpecker lips", never quit attitude, have great leadership skills, but lack experience in the land nav and military tactics; does that usually mean you're not going to be selected? Just want to be prepared.

If you want to teach yourself land navigation techniques, here's a good way to get started.

First, go to the USGS map store. Download the most recent ("US Topo") map for the region you'll be training in. Disable the orthoimage (satellite imagery) and print them at 48% of actual size. This will result in a map that is exactly 1:50k scale and will work perfectly with a military protractor.

Next, make sure you have some sort of functioning GPS device (you can download GPS apps on any smartphone). Go find some trails and just start walking. Do not use your GPS or a trail map; use only your topographical map. Keep track of where you think you are, and periodically check yourself using your GPS. Even if you stay on trails, this will help you develop your terrain association skills.

Once you're confident in your ability to terrain associate, plot a couple of points on your map (or, better yet, have someone else plot them -- make sure they're somewhat off the trails). Determine their grids, and then try to navigate to them. You don't need anyone to set up a land navigation course for you; you have your GPS which will allow you to check how accurate you are.

I recommend at least trying to familiarize yourself with land navigation at night. Follow the rules of SFRE/SFAS: red light only, and you can only use it to check your map with a poncho pulled over your head. The hassle of having to drop your ruck, break out the poncho, and go through this whole routine just to do a map check will impress upon you the need to carefully plan your routes and write notes to yourself before you step off. If you write your notes with a black pen, the light emitted by your compass will probably be sufficient to read them.

I second SF Hunter's advice regarding SFRE. These drills are no joke and the "regular" fitness that's evaluated by the APFT will not sustain you through them; running two miles in 12:00 is nice, but the guy who can run six miles in 48:00 immediately following a 10 mile ruck is who they're looking for.

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Thanks Jwarren. I'm pretty good with terrain association due to all the hunting I do but it's all by GPS topo. I haven't touched a protractor since 1999 while serving as a grunt. I will print out the map like you suggest and plot some basic "star" courses on my GPS and mark them on my map. That way I can reference my progress to ensure I'm doing it right. Between my crossfit classes 5x a week and additional road rucks and runs, my physical fitness will check out. It's been a couple of years but I used to run half marathons around a 9.5 min mile. I just don't want to be a "non-select" because my land nav sucks. I appreciate all the insight and will train accordingly.

Comment

Thanks Jwarren. I'm pretty good with terrain association due to all the hunting I do but it's all by GPS topo. I haven't touched a protractor since 1999 while serving as a grunt. I will print out the map like you suggest and plot some basic "star" courses on my GPS and mark them on my map. That way I can reference my progress to ensure I'm doing it right. Between my crossfit classes 5x a week and additional road rucks and runs, my physical fitness will check out. It's been a couple of years but I used to run half marathons around a 9.5 min mile. I just don't want to be a "non-select" because my land nav sucks. I appreciate all the insight and will train accordingly.

Sounds good. My experience is limited to 20th SFG in Maryland, but I'd advise you to target a 42 minute six-mile run time on flat ground (starting the run under rested conditions). A sustained seven minute mile is worth shooting for because it pretty much guarantees that you have good enough cardiovascular endurance. If you can do that, you just need to worry about developing sufficient upper body strength and toughening up your body for the ruck events.